Apparatus and method for visually inspecting gemstones

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus for visually inspecting gemstones. The apparatus contains a first light source, a sample stage adapted to receive a gemstone thereon, and a rotating stage located below the sample stage. The rotating stage is adapted to rotate relative to the sample stage. Embodiments of the invention therefore provide a portable and automatic gemstone inspecting apparatus that provides multiple inspection methods centrally without the need to use other external devices.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to inspection of gemstones, and in particular to the use of light sources for illuminating the gemstones to obtain optical properties of the gemstone for inspection.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002]Jewelry inspection tools are widely used in analyzing the quality of gemstones, such as to distinguish between natural diamonds and fake diamonds, or between natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds. There are developed many inspection methods for using with jewelry inspection tools based on optical properties of the gemstones, such as white light imaging and ultraviolet (UV) imaging. Because of the optical properties of the synthetic diamonds being different from natural diamonds, and those between fake diamonds and natural diamonds, the various inspection methods would assist a user to obtain images of the diamond under different types of light illuminations, thus to determine if the diamond is fake, synthetic or natural.[0003]However, convention...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]Embodiments of the invention therefore provide a portable and automatic gemstone inspecting apparatus that provides multiple inspection methods integrally without the need to use multiple inspecting apparatus. Some embodiments provide six different inspection methods / processes in a single inspecting apparatus and all these inspections can be completed within a short time (e.g. one minute), which provides more comprehensive information for natural / synthetic / fake diamond inspection. Also, the multiple inspection methods enable a capability to distinguish multiple types of gemstones, and reducing the false result caused by special or irregular cases. The multiple inspection methods can be selected by the user manually to run one after another, or in some embodiments, the Microprogrammed Control Unit (MCU) controls the multiple excitation light source system automatically to perform all of the required inspection processes, together with automated light switching and intensity control, thus removing the need for the user to intervene in the inspection process at all. It is also possible for a same inspecting apparatus to perform both fluorescence and transmittance imaging according to embodiments of the invention. The MCU could also control rotating mechanisms in the apparatus, such as the turntable for UV transmittance imaging in the sample stage, so that transmittance imaging detection can be carried out automatically. The user of the inspecting apparatus as such requires no special training about gemstone inspection techniques.

[0024]With the compact size of the inspecting apparatus in some embodiments, such an inspecting apparatus is particularly useful for “on-the-go” purposes such as for retailers and ordinary consumers in jewelry shops, for parties in second-hand jewelry transactions, and for consumers in jewelry exhibitions. The macro imaging system in the apparatus helps reduce the imaging distance (e.g. within 30 mm distance), thus making the compact size possible. With the battery installed in the inspecting apparatus according to certain embodiments, there is nothing needed to connect to the inspecting apparatus, and the user could conveniently put the gemstones inside the apparatus and start the inspection process immediately.

Problems solved by technology

However, conventional jewelry inspection tools are bulky and costly, for example when they use microscopes for the user to inspect the gemstones.

In addition, conventionally it is very difficult to accurately distinguish a synthetic diamond from a natural diamond, because the physical differences between synthetic and natural diamond is very small, and there are many special and irregular cases.

In order to get a reliable inspection result, frequently multiple test methods should be used for validation, but it is extremely difficult to integrate more than one type of inspection methods in a single device, as different inspection methods may need different light sources to generate lights at different wavelengths.

Some of the inspection methods are also not static, meaning that the light illuminating the gemstone and / or reflected from the gemstone need to be moving in order to examine the optical properties of the gemstone, which further give rise to difficulties in implementing a single jewelry inspection tool achieving different inspection methods.

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